I write book reviews for all types of books. Mainly, mystery/thriller, Contemporary and Historical fiction, Biography/Memoir and True Crime, and a little Romance, too!

Edelweiss

Watching Glass Shatter

Watching Glass Shatter

The Girl on the Velvet Swing

The Girl on the Velvet Swing by Simon Baatz

Friday, April 4, 2014

DARK SIDE OF SUNSET POINTE- A LANCE UNDERPHAL MYSTERY BY MICHAEL ALLAN SCOTT

Title: Dark Side of Sunset
Pointe – a Lance Underphal Mystery

Author Name: Michael Allan
Scott

Author Bio:

Born and raised at the edge of the high
desert in Kingman, Arizona, Michael Allan Scott resides in Scottsdale
with his wife, Cynthia and their hundred-pound Doberman, Otto. In
addition to writing mysteries and speculative fiction, his interests
include music, photography, art, scuba diving and auto racing. For
the latest, please visit http://michaelallanscott.com

A contemporary mystery/thriller—a
paranormal mystery, to be more precise. For mystery fans, it twists
and turns like a dragon kite in a high wind. Mystery connoisseurs,
beware. The Lance Underphal Mystery series will keep you guessing .
. .

Lance Underphal was devastated by his
wife’s death, and now, the down-and-out crime-scene photographer
can’t let her go. He wakes up plagued by premonitions. The double
shooting of an Arizona real estate developer and his
mistress/bookkeeper immerse Underphal in a world of incomprehensible
phenomena.

Frank Salmon, the homicide detective on
the case, does his best to blow off Underphal’s “visions.” But
the murders keep piling up and the visions are all too real.

Salmon pursues Underphal’s clues from
a popular strip club to a failing community bank, adding a
blackmailing stripper to the body count.

Underphal struggles mightily with his
psychic curse, teetering on the brink of insanity. His only hope for
redemption is the voice in his head, the voice of his dead wife.
Stumbling through dark vortexes of murderous intrigue, he comes to
realize his visions will either kill him or lead to the capture of a
killer—maybe more than one.

Excerpt:

A blazing sun still high above
Phoenix's western horizon. One hundred nine degrees in the shade.
Those with the wherewithal and accumulated vacation time have fled
north to the cool pines or west to the balmy California coast weeks
ago. Only the dregs of humanity, conscripted company workers and
hardcore entrepreneurs are left to bake in the Valley of the Sun’s
August heat. Yet beneath the surface layer of superheated atmosphere
and social veneers there is another, more subliminal furnace
raging—its fumes stoking the fires of Hell.

Just off the intersection of Greenway
and Tatum a white stucco box of an office building squats under a
clay tile roof, heat rising off the reddish tiles in shimmering
sheets. Mounted on the wrought-iron entry gate, the building
directory announces the tenants: Suite 101 – Whiting Realty &
Development. The office is closed for the day yet the overburdened
air conditioning units grind away, sheltering the last remaining
occupant from the sweltering heat.

Bloodshot eyes stare at a spreadsheet,
the monitor’s image glares with the harsh reality. Too many
negative numbers expose an ugly truth. Anxiously perched on the edge
of his high-backed leather executive chair, Gary Whiting waits with
the phone to his ear. Dreading the final ring, Whiting lets it go to
voicemail, again. He needs to talk to his partner, Rodriguez. He
loosens the knot in his power tie and hangs up. This time, without
leaving a message.

The four Excedrin have knocked his
headache down to a dull throbbing at the base of his skull, but his
eyes still ache. He’s been crunching numbers for their Sunset
Pointe development project, staring at the monitor all damn day. He
rubs at the knots in his stomach through his rumpled white dress
shirt, thinking maybe he should eat or maybe he should just shoot
himself. He taps the return key with a jittery thumb, hitting it too
many times, trying to put the numbers out of his mind. His pulse
pounds in his temples. Shit! Got to get ahold of that asshole,
Rodriguez.

Whiting runs a trembling hand through
thinning hair, his scalp hot and moist. They’ve got to do
something about these numbers. Short stubble on raw cheeks twitches
as he anxiously works his jaws. They could lose the whole damn
project. Thirty million! He can’t believe it, he’s bet
everything on this project. And with the hard-money loan, they’ve
got a bigger nut than ever. Shit! Those hard-money bastards,
they’re Rodriguez’s contacts. Of course they had to have
the money to finish—all the construction cost overruns. Fucking
Rodriguez. His fingers manically drum on the hardwood desktop,
their nails ragged, bitten to the quick. They’re in way too deep
to quit now.

Dark Side of Sunset Pointe- A Lance Underphal Mystery by Michael Allan Scott is a 2012 Telemachus Press publication. I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Mike Rodriquez and his partner have been working on a developmental deal named Sunset Pointe. Rodriquez is a big time wheeler dealer operating just on the border of legal and illegal practices. The problem is Sunset Pointe is in bad shape money wise. When Mike is found murdered and his secretary is shot and left in a coma, detective Frank Salmon takes the case.
Enter Lance Underphal who is called in to take photos of the crime scene. Lance's wife passed away recently and since then he has been troubled with health problems and visions. He is having certain paranormal encounters that isn't helping his mental state. However, he could prove quite useful in helping to solve the murder of Mike Rodriguez if only he can convince the skeptical Frank Salmon that his visions are real and correct.
The disclaimers of "This mystery is not for everyone" will peak your curiosity . Yes, it is different, but that's a good thing. At once very unique, but also gives one pause. Financial problems can cause people to do things they would never have dreamed of. When someone has a reputation to uphold things can become even more dicey. Mike's partner has a gambling problem, Mike has too many girlfriends and wife. The company they keep and the lifestyle they all live has the suspects piling up. A wife being cheated on, a secretary being cheated on, a pissed off husband, exotic dancers, all figure in and muddy the waters for detective Salmon.
This is certainly a different sort of mystery. The main difference is the paranormal element. This a dark mystery that combines the fast lane lifestyle with the underbelly of society. Lance is a guy that gets sucked into the melee kicking and screaming. He would rather not be in this position, but he has the guts to do the right thing. Hearing his wife's voice also gives him the courage to proceed although he doesn't necessarily welcome his new paranormal abilities. The plot takes several hard turns and weaves and winds all the way to the end. The author would like to call attention to the hardships of the economy and the effects of an over medicated society. This one is a wild and bumpy ride, but well worth it. This one gets an A.

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About Me

I am married with two grown children, I have two dogs and three cats, I collect vintage paperbacks, I read, and write reviews, blog, promote across social media. I am a top Amazon and Goodreads reviewer.

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